Google announced a whole bunch of new Google Assistant features at I/O this week and many are already rolling out through a Google App update. Thanks to this update, you’ll now be able to type out entries to the Assistant, plus there is a new screen that features “Explore” and “Your Stuff” tabs.

Once updated, you’ll be able to tap on the keyboard icon in the bottom left corner after opening Assistant. You can type out commands, like “Weather” and get the weather. This is the type of feature that will really come in handy in those situations where you’d rather not talk to your phone.

Also, you’ll now see a blue icon in the top right corner of Assistant that takes you to two new sections. The new “Explore” section helps you learn about Assistant and its capabilities. It offers a variety of examples of the types of actions it can accomplish, along with additional info should you tap on one. The “Your Stuff” section is similar to the info that Google Now presents, like your calendar, reminders you have, what’s on your shopping list, and the Shortcuts you have created.

What are Shortcuts? Oh just the coolest new Google Assistant feature that allows you to automate things with your own short phrases. We plan to talk more about Shortcuts next week, but this is where you’ll find info about them.

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More than 20 days later after this update and I still don’t have the keyboard shortcut. Also now when I ask her, she says I can click on it, as if I did have it. #help

Kaio Henrique Nhyphk

Got the Explore and My Stuff, but didn’t get the keyboard shortcut. And that’s what I really need.

Kevna

Still can’t identify songs tho

thereasoner

Yes it can with the Shazam app. Just ask Google Assistant to “Shazam this song”, so long as the app is installed it will work just as fast as a native solution. If you don’t want to download Shazam then you can still do it with Google Now although not as seamless as the Assistant/Shazam solution.

NJ-JRS

I just tried this, all it does is tell you the app is on your phone and you can click to launch the app. It’s faster to just have Shazam widget on a home screen.

thereasoner

Strange, on my Pixel it just started listening/identifying right away as soon as I asked. Try setting the Shazam app to listen when opened, I believe the default setting has it so you have to tap still.

NJ-JRS

So weird. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for the integration of these apps into Google assistant, but it must be since so many apps don’t seem to work properly. For now I’m sticking to my current setup : both a Shazam and sound hound shortcut on my homepage and both set to auto listen upon launch.

I hope Google gets the integration of everything worked out soon, it’s such a pain knowing I have this assistant but that it can’t do much other than basically search things. I’m still surprised it can’t even launch Amazon music to play the song I say, it just gives me the button to open the app on my own. Figured something as simple as playing a song on command wouldn’t be too difficult yet. Oh well, keeping fingers crossed for improvement in the near future.

thereasoner

Actually you’re wasting home screen space, you don’t need the widgets or shortcuts. As I said before simply say to the Assistant to “open Shazam” and you’re done, it will listen/identify automatically. Instead of a shortcut or widget you’ll just have the Shazam icon on your notification bar. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

Even if you don’t want to use voice/Assistant and would rather tap then you still don’t need to waste screen space on shortcuts/widgets. In that case you only need to tap the microphone on the search bar for Google Now and then tap the music note icon for automatic music identification without voice interaction.

If you prefer to use screen space then you can I suppose but it’s a waste really. It’s already quite easy to use Assistant or Google Now without doing that!

NJ-JRS

I wouldn’t call it wasted space, since the home screen(s) is/are where you want quick access to things. I like quick access to soundhound for the extra goodies and features it provides over the google sound identification; Shazaam is my backup for those times Soundhound can’t pick up a song. 🙂

Big EZ

Hopefully it gets better. So far all it has done is ruin the Google search feature for me.

Most things Facebook and Google do are server side. Usually the code is already on your device, but they have to turn it on.

Kelly OBrien

Amazing

JSo

I need to think of more shortcuts to make.

krubby

I thought the same. My first thought – oh this is awesome. My second thought – Hmmm… what the heck shortcuts would I actually need. My next challenge will be remembering all of them once I do create some.

Suicide_Note

My thoughts exactly.

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